Les histoires de fantômes de Xiao Tao (Version intégrale)

Chapitre 9

"No wonder I haven't seen you lately, so you have a girlfriend now," Old Xu said, patting Lü Hantian on the shoulder.

“I…” I was about to stand up and explain myself when I was interrupted by Lü Hantian.

"Old Xu, make yourself at home, don't be shy, let's go dance." Lü Hantian pulled me into the back hall, leaving Old Xu alone there rolling his eyes.

I glanced at Lü Hantian; his expression wasn't good. Seeing me looking at him, Lü Hantian said, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together," and then fell silent.

"This guy's got some principles," I was thinking when I was interrupted by music. A slender girl was playing the piano—The Butterfly Lovers. To be honest, it's my least favorite piece, and it's the one I least wanted to practice when I was learning the piano. But the girl playing was quite charming, probably around twenty years old. A woman in her late twenties can't see anything good in a woman in her mid-twenties; but when she looks at a girl in her twenties or teens, she's adorable no matter what. A woman's jealousy—it's innate.

"Second cousin," the girl stood up and ran towards Lü Hantian. When she stood up, I realized how tall she was—she must be over 1.7 meters tall. I'm so envious; height has always been my weakness.

Suddenly, Lü Hantian grabbed my hand, but he said with a normal smile, "Your piano playing is getting better and better."

Seeing me and Lü Hantian holding hands, the girl said with a hint of displeasure, "Oh, second cousin has another girlfriend." Listen to that! What do you mean "another"? Coupled with her disdainful look, I was furious. All my previous goodwill vanished. I simply grabbed Lü Hantian's arm and asked him in a coquettish tone, "Didn't you say you only love me? But judging from this young lady's tone, you… you'd better explain yourself when you get home!" I felt disgusted by her words, but Lü Hantian surprisingly played along. He flicked my nose with his finger and said, "Of course, I only love you." Then he looked up at his proud cousin and said, "We're going dancing, want to join us?" I quickly replied, "Yes, this young lady is so cute, and she plays the piano so well, she must be a great dancer too." The young lady's eyes practically lit up. That expression reminded me of the little starlet Lin Hanhan from earlier. I wonder where those two are having their moment of bliss right now.

"No, I don't like dancing," she said through gritted teeth, then turned and left, her lotus-colored fishtail skirt fluttering beautifully.

After walking through the dance hall, I took my hand down and suddenly felt a little sad. I'm twenty-seven years old, and today I have to pretend to be someone's girlfriend. It's really helpless.

"Pretend to be my girlfriend and I'll get a 20% commission," I said casually.

"Okay," Lü Hantian replied calmly.

The party downstairs was in chaos, so I followed Lü Hantian upstairs into his study.

The room was furnished in an antique style, with a complete set of rosewood bookshelves, even the recliner was a set; since it was a study, the room was naturally filled with books. What's noteworthy is that on Lü Hantian's desk sat a copy of "The Hundred Classics," and although he seemed nonchalant, he was actually quite afraid. Why do men always have to put on a brave face?

"Give me your hand," I said as soon as I sat down. Lü Hantian offered her hand, palm down, with a questioning look on her face.

"Turn me over, let me take your pulse."

"Although the pulse is disordered, it is not as light and frivolous as a bird's pecking, the body..." I looked up and met Lu Hantian's hazy peach blossom eyes, which made me stop abruptly. A man with such eyes may be surrounded by a riot of beauties, but his private life is not necessarily chaotic. Fortunately, he is missing a mole under his eye, otherwise the women around him would probably all turn into Du Shiniang.

"What?" he uttered softly.

"In other words, you are currently possessed by a ghost, but the main god is unaffected, only lacking one of your souls," I said, then withdrew my hand. "Pathetic," I thought angrily.

"Is there a way?" Lu Hantian asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nonsense, otherwise I would have left long ago," I replied irritably. I hate it when people doubt my abilities.

"However, it's not as simple as I imagined. How are the others who were with you?" Although I appeared confident, I was actually a little worried. Judging from Lü Hantian's current condition, the ghost had clearly taken over a part of his soul. Generally, as long as the little devil was driven away, the soul could be reunited. But this ghost didn't seem to be a whole entity, but rather a wisp of "ghost soul."

Only wandering souls older than a thousand years can split off from a "Nether Soul," and this wandering soul likely doesn't belong to any of the three realms of humans, ghosts, or gods, which makes it somewhat troublesome. This is because the "Nether Soul" can only split off to take the punishment of a wandering soul when struck by external force, much like a gecko's tail, allowing the wandering soul to live twice. Forcibly splitting it off will only cause the wandering soul to scatter and perish.

So, if everyone else is fine, then it can only mean that Lü Hantian's encounter with the ghost was purely accidental. Perhaps someone was just playing a ghost-summoning game, and a bolt of lightning struck, leaving Lü Hantian as collateral damage. But why Lü Hantian of all people? I'm still puzzled. Therefore, I have to ask about the others.

"They all seem to be fine, they were just a little frightened that day. Two of them went abroad to recuperate, and the other one is fine now."

"Okay, tell me in detail, what exactly did you see that day?"

Lü Hantian fiddled with the paperweight on the table, and began to speak dejectedly: "After the game started that day, nothing happened for a long time. We thought it was hopeless and were about to give up when suddenly there was a loud clap of thunder outside, and the plate on the paper actually started moving! I thought someone was playing tricks on me, deliberately moving it; but when I looked up and saw that they looked just as surprised as I did, I realized it might actually be real." At this point, Lü Hantian paused, opened the bottom shelf of the bookcase, and found a small refrigerator. This guy took out half a watermelon and handed me a spoon.

I took the spoon with a helpless expression and asked, "Did you ask any questions?"

“I asked one, but before they could ask, something happened,” he said, taking a big bite of watermelon and putting it in his mouth. “It seemed like another lightning strike. That lightning was really big; it looked like the sky had cracked open. We were lucky that day; it only struck twice and then drizzled a little. Otherwise, judging from the lightning, I would have thought there was going to be a storm. After that lightning struck…” I was engrossed in eating watermelon when Lü Hantian suddenly fell silent. I looked up and saw that he was completely lost in his memories, with a bite of watermelon still on his spoon, frozen in place.

Seeing Lü Hantian like this reminds me of how confused the prince was on the night the accident happened in Yulong...

(IV) The Tragedy of Games: Chapter Five - The Ghost

"Knock knock knock" Although I didn't interrupt Lü Hantian's thoughts, a knock on the door brought her back to reality.

"Second Young Master, the Eldest Young Master wants to speak and asks you to come down," a man around fifty years old said, nodding as he stood outside the door. He had a round body, a shiny head, and thin eyebrows and eyes; he looked like the kind of person who would never miss a beat when flattering someone.

"Ah, Uncle Cheng, we'll be right down," Uncle Cheng replied, but he didn't seem to leave, as if he had something else to say.

"Hmm, Second Young Master, Miss Biao... seems a little unhappy," Uncle Cheng said, glancing at me into the room.

Lu Hantian smiled but didn't say anything.

"Being falsely accused of being a social climber seriously damages my reputation, so I'll increase my commission by another 20%," I muttered angrily as I went downstairs.

"Okay," Lü Hantian replied indifferently, still appearing nonchalant.

"Since you answered so readily, here you go," I said, pulling out a "condensing talisman" and handing it to him. Lü Hantian glanced at my talisman pouch, took the talisman with two fingers, and put it in his shirt pocket.

"Put it somewhere you can see it when you go to sleep at night," I instructed from the bottom of the stairs.

Lu Hantian nodded and walked straight to the front hall.

"First of all, thank you all..." Lü Liang's speech had begun, consisting of nothing more than polite remarks...

"Zuo Weiyang!" I got slapped on the left shoulder again. It was Li Guandong. If there weren't so many people around, I would have punched him twice back.

"Hey, where's your little star?" I turned around and found that only Li Guandong was there.

"Look, over there," Li Guandong gestured with his chin towards the right front.

"What are you up to?" Lin Hanhan was holding hands with a fat man in his fifties. But seeing the dazzling gold on the fat man's hands, it was clear why Lin Hanhan was clinging to him so tightly.

"Business always requires some sacrifices; besides, you don't really think I have such poor judgment, do you?" Li Guandong said, raising his glass to the fat man.

"No, isn't that young starlet quite pretty?" I took Li Guandong's champagne and sipped it.

Be careful with lipstick; beauty isn't the point, refinement is.

"Sister, my lipstick isn't that cheap," I glanced at him, took another sip, and handed it back to him. I don't know where Lü Hantian ran off to; as soon as I got to the front hall, the kid was gone.

"Hey, how's Lü Hantian doing?" Li Guandong asked quietly.

"What do you know? What did Lü Liang tell you?" I really wanted to hear what was wrong with Lü Hantian. Even if Li Guandong hadn't brought it up, I would have asked anyway.

“Lü Liang didn’t say much, only that Lü Hantian sometimes fights with himself,” Li Guandong said, pursing his lips in disbelief, and then added, “How is that possible? Fighting with himself? And he’s injured.”

"Are you injured?" I asked.

"Hmm, he's quite good at hitting people. He didn't hit his face at all, only his chest. I told Lü Liang I didn't do it myself, but he didn't believe me." Li Guandong shook his head, took a sip of champagne, and continued, "If Lü Hantian hadn't specifically asked to see you, Lü Liang probably would have sent him to a mental hospital..."

A round of applause interrupted our conversation, and Lü Liang finished his speech. Even after he finished, I still didn't understand the purpose of tonight's banquet. Perhaps it was just one of the entertainments for the wealthy.

"You're quite famous, aren't you? Lü Hantian specifically asked for you," Li Guandong joked.

"Of course, am I an ordinary person? Do you think all men are like you, not introducing business opportunities to each other!" Actually, I'm four years younger than Li Guandong.

"It's better for a girl to stay home and be a good wife and mother than to be all about gods and ghosts all day long!" Li Guandong's tone was almost stern. This was the only excuse he used for not introducing me to business.

"President Li..." the fat man said, swinging over with Lin Hanhan on his arm.

"Oh, Young Master Lü is here too," Lü Hantian said, appearing behind me at some point.

"Unbutton your clothes," I said, pulling Lü Hantian onto the second-floor balcony.

"Hmm? Oh," the kid was obedient and unbuttoned his shirt.

"What a powerful ghost! I wonder what the main spirit is like." I was shocked when I saw the wounds. The wounds were not long, just small and scattered on my chest. They had all scabbed over, winding like little earthworms.

"Your brother said you fought with yourself?" I asked as I pulled aside his clothes. It seemed the wounds were only on his chest, with no marks on his sides.

Lü Hantian smiled in response.

"The wounds are all on your chest. The soul that was invaded by you is the 'Power Soul.' When the Power Soul is damaged, it is easy to attract foreign objects. It seems that not only is there a 'Nether Soul' haunting you, but it has also attracted a lot of 'miscellaneous objects' to you."

"What is a 'ghost'?" Lu Hantian asked, looking down at his chest.

"Well, let me put it this way. You weren't the primary target of the attack. I've already told you before; you were accidentally injured. I'm not entirely sure what hurt you yet, but judging from the wound, it's probably more than just a wandering spirit. However, whatever it was, it must have disappeared that night. But you're really unlucky. The instant that thing vanished, a primordial spirit split off from its body. Although the main spirit is gone, the primordial spirit remains, so it's not truly dead. This 'primordial spirit' is the 'Nether Soul.' I don't know what will happen in the future; it depends on the cultivation level of its main spirit..."

"Ah...you..." A scream startled me. I turned around and saw it was that Miss Cousin from before...

"It's over, it's over..." I couldn't help but groan inwardly. This was a situation I couldn't possibly clear my name of...

"Ah, cousin, is something the matter?" Lu Hantian asked calmly as she buttoned up her shirt.

"Second cousin, you...you, how...ah..." This young lady pointed at me angrily, and finally, perhaps not knowing what to say, she stomped her foot and walked away.

"What kind of people are in your family? I was almost ready to climb down that vine next to the balcony," I said helplessly.

"The Lü family... there's nothing we can do," Lü Hantian mumbled something I didn't understand.

"Ah..." Lü Hantian suddenly took a step back, her eyes fixed on the corridor ahead, adopting a bargaining stance.

"Don't be so nervous," I said, patting Lü Hantian's arm, which was already tense.

"I, Zuo Weiyang, am right here! How dare you show your face? You've got some nerve!" I yelled at the dark figure that emerged from the left wall of the corridor. This creature shimmered with phosphorescence, glowing with a bluish light. It had been crawling on the ground, but once it fully emerged from the wall, it suddenly stood up, easily over a meter tall. So it was a small snake demon. No wonder Lü Hantian's wounds looked like that; the main spirit of that underworld soul must also be a long worm, otherwise how could it have summoned something like this…

"In the east there is the Azure Dragon General, in the south the Fire Dragon General, in the west the World Honored One protects my inner body, and in the north there is the True Martial Black Fiend God," I said, patting Lu Hantian's chest. I had to protect this God of Wealth first.

The shimmering light dazzled my eyes, and then that thing suddenly lunged at me...

(IV) The Tragedy of Games: Chapter Six - Unexpected Incident

"Freeze!" I threw out a freezing talisman; but that guy didn't look like an ordinary little demon. The freezing talisman hit him and crackled. Seeing that the little snake demon was about to break free, I couldn't help but get a little anxious.

I'm here for a banquet today, wearing a little cheongsam, so of course I can't bring my toolbox. Right now, all I have are a few talismans and no other ghost-fighting tools. The calming talisman on this snake demon is about to lose its effect, so I can only pull Lü Hantian downstairs.

“We can’t leave. If my brother sees this, he’ll definitely tell everyone I have mental problems, and then…” Lu Hantian didn’t finish his sentence, but I already understood what he meant. No wonder he would rather get injured than run away and call for help every time this snake demon came; it turns out the Lu brothers were still putting on this show…

"Then that's the only way," I said, pulling out Lü Hantian's belt without a second thought for his embarrassment. In the blink of an eye, the immobilization talisman had worn off, and the snake demon had taken another step forward...

"Head above the heavens, feet on the earth, ... Strike the heavens open, strike the earth crack, strike the mountains fall, strike the trees break, touch people and bring life, touch ghosts and destroy them, strike the fox, strike the weasel, strike the white fox, strike the long fox, strike the unjustly killed demons," I recited each line, then whipped it with my belt. With each whip, a portion of its shimmering blue scales would peel off. By this time, the snake demon was clearly preparing to escape, but I had no intention of letting it go. "Strike the gods back to their temples, strike the ghosts back to their graves, fox and weasel sects, unjustly killed souls, ... Six stars of the Southern Dipper, Seven stars of the Northern Dipper, I obey the command of the Supreme Lord Laozi!" The snake demon had already turned around. I flung the belt away, and after a rustling sound, a muffled thud followed.

Looking at the pile of smoking scales on the ground, it was truly disgusting. "What a cunning snake demon! You underestimate me too much!" I said, throwing a talisman onto the pile of scales. "I beseech the Heavenly Lord to slay the demon and eliminate evil. Southern Dipper and Northern Buddha, gods and demons, all shall fall." As soon as it landed, the pile of scales disappeared with a "poof," leaving only a burnt smell in the air.

"This snake demon is so strange. It must be that the ghostly soul inside you wants to be reborn through this snake demon, that's why..." I murmured.

Lu Hantian was looking at the belt that had perished with the snake demon with regret when he suddenly heard me speak and asked, "Um, can you explain it more clearly and specifically? I don't quite understand."

"Oh, you don't need to understand. Just know that you won't have to fight 'yourself' for a while. I'll help you get rid of the evil spirit in your body as soon as possible..." I didn't want to explain too much; the battle just now had already exhausted me. Actually, hitting someone is much more tiring than being hit.

"I want to know," Lu Hantian said, though he only said four words, but they revealed his unwavering determination.

"Then let's go downstairs and talk, I'm hungry." I felt helpless about my own compliance.

"Can you eat all this?" Lu Hantian was a little surprised when she saw that I had prepared a large plate of meat.

"Don't you know how much energy that battle took? Besides, I've only eaten a few bites of watermelon and haven't had dinner yet. I saved your life, so I'll eat some of your meat. Don't be so stingy," Lu Hantian's words made me feel a little annoyed.

“I’m hungry too,” Lü Hantian said, and started eating as well.

"That snake demon didn't use any magic or venom; it just invaded with its physical form. This proves that it's a demon that's declining. Once it's over, it might be able to cultivate and become an immortal." I stuffed a big mouthful of smoked meat into my mouth, chewing until my mouth was dripping with oil before continuing, "Under normal circumstances, no demon would attack humans at this time. So its arrival can only be attributed to one thing: your summons." I took another bite of foie gras sausage; it tasted amazing.

"My summons?" Although Lü Hantian had been eating, he didn't wolf down his food at all. The way he ate reminded me of a prince once again...

"No, it should be said that it is the call of the ghost within you. It needs to be reborn, and your body is not enough to satisfy it, so it is constantly calling for a suitable body to accept it; but only when you die can it find a host. So although this snake demon is dead, maybe in a few days another demon will come looking for you, and you probably won't be so lucky then."

"Is there any way?" Lu Hantian asked after a moment's hesitation. He must be afraid too.

"Going to sea," I said, as I used a fork to wrestle with Lü Hantian for the last piece of roasted venison.